posting from the trenches

Raising kids is hard… in case you didn’t get the memo! Haha! I am frequently concerned that I am ruining my kids, or that they are going to need some serious counseling later in life. I mean, I had amazing parents, but even I ended up pregnant at 19!

Not only is it hard, but it’s exhausting! I am frequently tired. Not just on a physical level, but on EVERY level. Parenting uses up mental, spiritual, emotional, and physical strength. Some days my body is wide-awake, but my brain is done. I might not be ready for a nap, but the stress on my mental health, keeping up with my 4 year old & trying to stay one step ahead of him… has just finished me for the day!

It’s so hard to keep the goal in mind! The funny thing is that it’s JUST like all those old church ladies say: “the days are long, but the years are short”. We have to remember that the goal is not JUST making it to the end of the day (even though that seems nearly impossible). The goal is long-term. It’s not just surviving a Monday; it’s about RAISING children! Motherhood is hard. It’s tiring. It feels like you are in the trenches, in the middle of the pouring rain, with food in your hair and you have to pee!

Galatians 6:9 says:

“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.”

Do not give up, mommas! Get through today, put them to bed & then take 30 minutes… read a book, take a bath, watch your favorite show… recharge your batteries! Because just like those church ladies say, today WAS long, but 5 years later we are going to wonder where all the time went! I am just beginning to see this now that I have some older kiddos. I look back I realize “huh! She really DID end up potty-trained!” or “wow! He actually grew out of that stage at some point!” The toddler years are rough, but those stages that felt endless, finally ended!

At the right moment, someday we will reap our harvest. I hear it’s probably when you become a grand-parent & see your own kids raising their children.

Apparently that’s pretty rewarding.